Related Articles

Whether or not you use your wood-burning stove as a heating device, it can add character and flare to your home. Classic stoves bring an old-world charm to San Francisco's vintage buildings, and today's sleek, streamlined models make classy accessories for modern rooms. In the kitchen, the living room or the bedroom, a wood-burning stoves can be a gathering place for the family on cold nights or a focal point to add beauty to your home.

Functional

If you use your wood-burning stove for heat -- or you simply like the look of a roaring fire -- you can't really use your stove as a display area, because its exterior heats up too much. However, the glow of the fire and the warmth emanating from the stove are all you need to make it the aesthetic focal point of the room. Paint the stove to suit your decor using heat-resistant stove paint, and arrange the room's furniture to frame the stove, so friends and family can gather around on chilly nights.

Non-Functional

You have more options for decorating if you don't intend to use your stove for heat. Use it as a mantel to display artwork or family photographs; place large crystals or geodes inside it and around its base; arrange an array of colored candles inside for a flickering glow without the heat of a fireplace. A stove without fire inside it is less magnetic to the eye, so it doesn't need to be the focal point of the room -- but if you choose to arrange the furniture around it, you can make it a piece of art in itself.

Seasonal

Transform a non-functioning stove into seasonal art. In the autumn, stack pine cones inside it, set pumpkin pie-scented candles on top and place decorative squash around its base. During the winter holidays, wrap the stove-pipe in colorful ribbons, hang ornaments from the corners and paint snowflakes on the glass. If you don't have a Christmas tree, you can display gift-wrapped presents inside. Come spring time, wrap the stove-pipe like a maypole and set vases with fresh flowers on top.

Small Stoves

If you have a small stove set in the back of the room, it probably won't make a good focal point for the space. Instead, incorporate it simply into the overall design of the room. Paint it a color that fits in the palette, and keep the paint fresh and clean, whether or not you use the stove. If you don't use it and it's completely clean inside, you can turn it into a quirky bookcase, a display stand for decorative items or a sideboard to store elegant china.

About the Author

Stephanie Mitchell is a professional writer who has authored websites and articles for real estate agents, self-help coaches and casting directors. Mitchell also regularly edits websites, business correspondence, resumes and full-length manuscripts. She graduated from Syracuse University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater.

Mitchell, Stephanie. (n.d.). How to Use a Wood Burning Stove in Interior Decorating. Home Guides | SF Gate. Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/use-wood-burning-stove-interior-decorating-21241.html